TKR 1 month post op. Weaning off pain medications?^

And @Softtail you know I passed another milestone today... I kneeled down in church!!!
:heehee: And it felt weird (like kneeling on a wooden block) but it didn’t hurt!!!!
 
I've taken to standing at the rail...which is perfectly kosher, so to speak. But I HAVE tentatively started foot over foot stepping up stairs, and it's no problem! I couldn't do that pre surgery.

andpeaches, I hope that you stay pain free (you will!) and forget all about your new knee soon.
 
:wowspring:@hegel !! You’re 6 weeks behind me and I remember trying those dreaded stairs at 7 weeks and they killed both knees. They remain my biggest challenge. Good for you!!!
 
@andpeaches fantastic news re work. Can imagine the panic when a beeper goes off while sleeping....a bit hard to get leg moving quickly.:bolt:
How are you going with the the down part of the stairs.......its my dread.:yikes:
Taking them backwards at the moment
 
@Kiwigirl62 Happy Monday! I too am taking the stairs down backwards!! It gets me there faster than one step at a time! My coworkers think I’ve lost my mind! Only a fellow TKR could understand! Please take it easy as you have a busy week:praying: and let us know how you make out!
 
Although I can normally do stairs foot over foot, I still go backwards down the stairs at my daughter's house when I first get up in the morning. Her stair treads are higher than usual and I feel safer doing the stairs that way. Later in the day, I go down forwards.
 
yeeehaw!! I’m 12 weeks today!! After celebrating my return to work and making it through four 10-15 hr shifts in the last 10 days, I’m starting to feel the effects today. There was increased stiffness when I got up today and a new ache that forced me to take Tylenol and elevate, ice and massage today on my day off. Yeah yeah I know it’s due to Overdoing:sigh: ! I also found that the kinesiology tape that my SIL (who’s a PT) taped me up with last week had worn off and I think my knee wants it back!! So she’s taught me how to re-apply it and I swear my knee already feels more supported less clunky, less naggy pain. No Zingers!!!
But hey :loveshwr:we made it to 12 weeks!!! And oh what an improvement from those 1st 6 weeks!!
 
For anyone who may be interested in trying KT taping with kinesiology tape for knee stability here’s a good YouTube showing how to do it!
This is exactly what I’ve been doing since 10 weeks post op and I swear my knee has felt better and stronger !
Oh BTW guess who shoveled 4” of snow on her driveway yesterday??! :snow plough:
 
@andpeaches - I have copied one post of yours and moved another from flunsgirl's thread, as they were about your recovery, not hers.
I have edited your post that is still left in flunsgirls's thread, so that it shows support for her.

I have reminded you about this before, so please remember to post about your recovery in your own thread and not in someone else's thread. When you do that you are hijacking the other person's thread and taking it off its main topic, which should be about their own recovery.
Forum etiquette: being polite when posting
 
This is exactly what I’ve been doing since 10 weeks post op and I swear my knee has felt better and stronger !
I would agree....although I've not used with tkr.....i have though been wedded to light compression band on my knee....nights too. I only ditched it at night about 10days ago (it helped support if i moved around at night).

Inside house use nothing (only since 10days) but always have on when out or at work. I'm sure as time goes I'll ditch it.

Used that tape on long distance walks. ..great stuff :walking:
 
So you got that 4 inches? We got only flurries here. Be careful about snow shoveling this soon. I mean, it's doable, but... be careful.

I've seen quite a few people post about kinesiology tape and most have good things to say. I say anything that helps is a go!
 
And peaches, sounds like you are doing great, and making the best of your new knee. Still going good for me also, and am getting my right knee catscan on Monday , so they can build my new conformis implant tobeput in this coming April. I don’t recall if you have mentioned anything about your other knee being good or bad. Hopefully you only have to deal with this once,and wish that were truefor me, but seeing how much better my new knee is compared to before , I am ,at least, more optimistic about the second upcoming surgery . Hope things continue to improve for you over the upcoming weeks, and enjoy the holidays.
 
My 3 month update!
I am back to work full time and pleasantly surprised to report no problems with the long hours or the dreaded stairs. Oh I’m taking my time going up and down of course! Co-workers have been great allowing me to sit during rounds and occasionally will run ahead in emergencies to cover for me until I get there. I keep an ice bag filled and still elevate my leg and ice whenever I get a break.
My friends and coworkers have remarked that my walking pace has really picked up in the past week. Well of course only after I’ve walked off the initial monster walk stiffness! My best friend and walking partner who patiently walked with me from 1 week post op to now is so happy to be able to go a little faster now.
She never admitted to it but I know until recently she would say good bye and then go get a good walk in without me!:walking:
The stairs are still my nemesis!! Still stiffen up immediately if I try going up or down reciprocally. Augh I’m not going to fight them anymore. I just know one day I’ll tackle them.
I haven’t needed to take any OTC pain relievers for my knee in a few days so that’s :happydance:awesome.
My only health scare this week was a nagging jaw pain after chomping on almonds that ended up being an old root canal tooth infection (had to start Clindamycin) with a fractured root :gaah: so needed a tooth extraction and bone graft 2 days ago in preparation for tooth implant in a few months. (My year of implants :rotfl:) I’ve never had a tooth extraction so that threw me into a panic and I was paralyzed with fear that the infection could travel to my new knee. But after researching for hours I was reassured to find that studies show oral bacteria are not causes of implant infections. Thank you @Celle! you mentioned that to another member and my oral surgeon confirmed it. Boy was I scared dealing with that this week! My OS recommends the 2 yr pretreatment with antibiotics for dental procedures (Clindamycin for me with PCN allergy. So lots of yogurt and probiotics :eeeuw:) but the oral surgeon shared with me the latest research showing that’s no longer necessary. I’m not sure if I’m brave enough to not take the prophylaxis until more definitive studies convince the ADA. BUT NO more chomping almonds for me again!
One good thing... I had absolutely no pain after the extraction and graft! Still don’t! I’m wondering if TKR’ers just have higher pain thresholds afterwards :chinstroke:???
And @Softtail you are so dear!! My left knee is holding up! It crunches like bone breaking when I’m on the stairs but it’s not bothering me too much. Xrays showed that there’s early arthritis but not bone on bone yet. So I’m still good!! I know you’ll fly with the 2nd knee! You have the perfect attitude!! I’m going to need you when I face having to do it again.
I’m so much better now at 3 months than I ever could have imagined! Thank you all for constantly reminding me that I would get better. I really didn’t believe it at 5 weeks.
Happy Christmas and New Year to all!:dancing: Carrie
 
@andpeaches What a lovely update! You are doing great! You will continue to see progress in your recovery for many months. And you will soon forget about the dreaded stairs as well. Well done on your recovery!
 
@andpeaches , I'm glad your dental extraction went so well. My husband has had several of those extractions and then implants, and they work very well for him.

I used to take prophylactic antibiotics for all dental work, but I've gradually stopped doing that. For a while, I just took them for extractions and root canals, but I don't even do that now.
It's 18 years since my first knee replacement and four years since the last one and I haven't had any problems as a result of dental work.
 
@andpeaches ...great update its good to hear......I'm looking forward to doing my 3month one next week. I so get you about the stairs -down that is. I to decided it'll happen when it does and stopped stressing sbout it a couple weeks ago. Shallow ones are OK. I know it will happen as I've had to tackle ramps for last 6 weeks. Up has always been fine....down was a different story but pleased to report can now do OK....slow but without the pain.....isnt progress a wonderful thing:cheers:
 
4 Months and Life is OK!!!
A smart BoneSmart’er said somewhere on some post that we should all look back once a month and celebrate what’s better? What’s easier? I had a hard time finding those betters and easiers during the first 2 months but now I’m seeing it!!
What’s better? My energy level, my sleeping is back to normal, the pain (although still a little cranky at times) is decreased, my walking is more normal and faster:walking:
What’s easier? Oh wow that’s easy... the stairs! It’s still not pain free but I can actually go up and down without a death grip on railing (sometimes don’t hold on at all!:yahoo:)
And cooking! I can prepare meals without having to take breaks. And shopping! No dying to get to car after 20 min and don’t have to put leg up anymore when I get home. Work is amazingly easier. I can almost walk as fast as everyone else!! Almost! Actually everything is easier! Ok well getting up off the john still hurts :hairpulling: but I don’t sit there forever anymore being afraid to get up! :loll:
I had an amazing trip early Jan to visit my hubby in the islands. And I had a blast!! I could drive (he has a manual /stick /clutch car) and walk the beach and SNORKEL with fins!! And swim and go out for dinner:martini:with no limitations!
My R knee occasionally will swell and get tender and mad if I do too much :hissy:and there’s still some days that I feel like it’s worse than others. But it’s slowly but surely getting stronger, feeling a little more normal and I’m not thinking about it as much! :spin:
I hope everyone’s new year is bringing lots of healing and recovery to many many many dear knees out there!:loveshwr:
-Carrie
 

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